Tesla's $1-trillion dilemma:

To pay or not to pay Musk

- JACK EWING

ON THURSDAY, TESLA’'S shareholders will make a very big decision: Should the company give Elon Musk, its chief executive, nearly $1 trillion in stock?

Musk and his critics have been waging heated campaigns before the company’s annual meeting in Texas, when it will announce the results of a vote on his compensation package.

The fight has distinct echoes of the hostility that characterises American politics, especially in light of Musk’s on-again, off-again alliance with President Trump.

Even Pope Leo XIV has weighed in, citing Musk’s pay as an example of the gap between rich and poor.Beyond the jaw-dropping payday, the fight is about control: If the proposal is approved, Musk’s voting stake in Tesla would be around 25%.